Come Away With Innocence
by openfan4fiction
Summary: Picks up where Season 2 left off. What's next for Damon and Elena? What's Klaus' plan for his new wingman? Focused mainly on Delena, but I plan on incorporating some of the other character's stories as well. My first fanfic! Any input is welcome
1. Chapter 1

They continued to stare at each other, silently exchanging all of the questions flooding their minds since Katherine's departure.

Damon was the first to break their eye contact as he got out of his bed and crossed the room to grab his jacket.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked as Damon shrugged his jacket on his shoulders.

"I'm going to find Stefan. Find out what the hell is going on." He walked past her to make his way out of his room.

"Damon…"

Damon stopped in the doorway and turned to look at her.

Elena paused. She didn't know what she was going to say. She hadn't thought that far.

She had to say something. His anxious eyes were burning through her, waiting for what she had to say.

"I'm coming with you."

"No, Elena. You're not," he replied instantly.

His dictating response sparked Elena's anger.

"Yes I am!"

"No. You're _not." _Damon's eyes glinted with the irritation that was also beginning to rise in him. He set his jaw and stared directly into her eyes. "I need you to stay

here. In your house. Where it's safe."

"Oh really?" Elena asked sarcastically. "If it's so safe, then why was Katherine able to get in without my invitation?"

Damon opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

Elena smiled, satisfied. She could tell that threw him.

He stopped and considered this new complicating development. She was right. _Damn it._

He furrowed his brow as he tried to come up with the best plan of action.

Elena just stood there watching him, and waited for his answer.

He stared back into her eyes again.

"Alright, you can come…"

Elena exhaled, relieved, and nodded. She started toward the door, but Damon blocked her way.

"… but for once- you have to listen to me. You've taken too many risks on your own in the past, and I can't let that happen this time."

She opened her mouth to argue.

"Please, Elena."

She stopped.

He had completely dropped his dominating exterior and only spoke from his most vulnerable core- completely exposed to her, pleading with her. He wasn't telling, he was _asking_. She couldn't bring herself to argue with that. Not this time.

She dropped her eyes and nodded. She looked back up at him. She found his eyes still upon her, searching her face for confirmation to the promise.

"I will," she said straightly.

Their gaze lingered, then Damon walked out into the hall.

Elena hesitated, then followed him.


	2. Chapter 2

Damon and Elena made their way down the porch steps and started across the front lawn.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Elena whipped her head around to find Katherine approaching them, her expression set in mild, knowing suspicion.

Damon hadn't even broken his stride. He continued walking with the same fixed determination to his car.

"Going to do what you failed to do- help my brother."

Katherine made a disgusted noise.

"There wasn't anything I could do, Damon. When will you get it? No one can stop Klaus. Ever. And besides-"

Katherine inserted herself in between Damon and the car door handle he had begun to reach for.

"-if I had gotten myself killed, there wouldn't have been anyone to bring you the cure, you ungrateful ass."

Damon took a step back and simultaneously rolled his eyes and his head.

"Fine. Thank you Katherine, for sparing my undead life. Now since you insist on lingering around, can you at least tell me what you _do_ know from playing the quiet, un-interfering observer of my brother's sacrifice?"

Katherine sighed.

"You remember that little incident in Monterey?"

There was a moment of silence, and then a look of dawning spread across Damon's face.

"Yeah. Klaus does too. And he was very impressed. It seems your brother's avid talents are uniquely specified to his interests."

"What are you talking about?" Elena asked; panic beginning to grip her chest.

Katherine laid eyes on Elena, her annoyance at the interruption clearly evident.

"Let's just say your 'boyfriend'… will be behind some major headline news."

The truth sunk into Elena like a stone. She felt lightheaded and slightly dizzy. The grip in her chest tightened.

"Oh my God…"

She knew exactly what this meant, but she just couldn't believe it.

"So he _has _told you?" Katherine asked, amused- snapping Elena out of her sudden daze.

Katherine tilted her head. "Or did you get see it for yourself?"

Damon suddenly grabbed hold of Katherine and shoved her roughly against the car, pinning her there.

"Enough," he said in a dangerously low tone.

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Let go of me, Damon."

She pushed him lightly away from her, completely unconcerned. He reluctantly let his hands down to rest at his sides.

"Do you at least know where they went?"

"Oh come on, Damon. You don't really think Klaus would let me know that, do you?"

"Then we're done here."

Damon slipped past Katherine around to the passenger side of the car and opened the door, beckoning Elena over with the tilt of his head.

Elena began moving towards the car again, tentatively looking over in Katherine's direction.

Katherine only stared back, watching her as she walked past.

"You're never going to find them, you know," she said, once Elena had stepped onto the pavement. Elena stopped and looked back over her shoulder.

"Not unless Klaus wants you to."

Elena dropped her gaze and swallowed.

"You both need to think about what you're getting yourselves into. I mean… does Stefan even _need_ rescuing?"

"Elena, get in the car."

Elena turned back to see Damon- still standing there, holding the car door open- his eyes ablaze, and set squarely on Katherine.

Elena started back toward the car.

"How long did you expect he would fight it?"

Elena didn't stop walking this time. She kept her head down and quickly got into the car without another look back at Katherine.

"Whatever is inside will always get the best of you in the end."

Damon tried to shut the door to block out Katherine's words. But it didn't make a difference. Elena heard them all the same.

Damon made his way slowly, yet intently around of the front of the car. Katherine watched him approach out of the corners of her eyes. He stopped just beside her and looked down at her.

"Isn't there a beach with your name on it?" he asked her under his breath.

Katherine sighed.

Damon gripped her forearm and flipped her body around to face him. Her angry glare met his dangerous and threatening one.

"Don't give me another reason to kill you."

He looked her up and down critically.

"Though you might consider it… knowing the fate Klaus has in store once he's finished playing cat-and-mouse with you."

Katherine's expression dropped.

Damon gave her a pointed stare and released his grip on her. He turned around and headed back to the car. Katherine furrowed her brow as she watched him get in and start the ignition. He drove off, staring straight ahead- not so much as one glance back in her direction.

Katherine stared off after the vanishing backlights as they drove away.

_Idiots._

How many times did they really think they could mess with Klaus and survive?

_I might as well have let him die from the wolf bite, _she thought bitterly.

_At least that would have been kinder. _

Katherine sighed. Such devotion these people had. She couldn't wrap her head around it. And _Elena… _

How could they even be related? It nearly made her sick seeing how naive that girl was. But still… she did have that Petrova fire.

She was more suited to the lovesick puppy. At least the girl was good for that much.

Katherine involuntarily shook her head.

She honestly hoped they wouldn't find Klaus. No good could come from that.


	3. Chapter 3

The only sound within the car was the gentle humming of the engine as they drove. Elena was staring down at her lap, absentmindedly rotating the little vile of Klaus' blood between her fingers.

The urge to check her phone was almost overwhelming. But she knew there wasn't any point. If Stefan had texted her back, she would have felt it vibrate in her pocket.

She took a deep breath and gazed out the window.

She wasn't really seeing anything. Everything was blurring together- vague shapes and streetlights passing by. She was being withdrawn inside her own mind, her thoughts taking over everything else.

Even there things were blended- a whirlwind of worries and doubts.

What if they never found Klaus? What if they did? Is Stefan alright? Was he forced into it? Why did Klaus want this from him? How many lives are going to be taken? Will any of them even survive this? Was Katherine right? Was this a pointless suicide mission? Do we even have a plan?

Damon looked over at Elena to find her eyes welling up with tears threatening to spill over.

"Hey-"

He reached over and gently squeezed her hand.

Elena took a distressed, sharp intake of breath and started to cry, the tears spilling over and running down her cheeks.

Damon clenched his jaw and fought against the lump he felt growing in his throat.

"Elena. Listen to me…"

Elena sniffed, and exhaled. She began breathing deeply to get herself back together.

"We will find him. We will bring him home."

He glanced over at her again. She was staring straight ahead, the damp tracks on her cheeks glistening.

"We've done it once before. And we will do it again. Klaus will not win."

Elena nodded, and struggled to prevent more tears from overrunning.

She sniffed again, and gripped his hand.

Damon's eyes instinctively darted downward at her touch. She gently interlaced her fingers with his. He looked back up at her. She gave him an appreciative smile.

He smiled back reassuringly, then focused on the road- their hands still entwined.

A few minutes of silence went by.

"So where are we going?" Elena asked, softly.

"Ric's place. Do a little digging before we start tracking."

Elena nodded.

It seemed like a good place to start.

She took another deep breath to steady her nerves. She slipped her hand back from Damon's and inattentively brushed her hair back from her face.

Damon stole a glance at her.

Her blank expression barely concealed her lingering anxiety.

"Stefan's done this whole nomad thing before, you know."

Elena looked up at him. His eyes remained on the road.

"I've had to go after him. Track him down… It's almost like looking for a lost dog. Except-"

"He's Cujo."

Damon paused. And then he laughed.

Elena giggled. She wasn't sure she had actually heard him laugh before.

"Yes," Damon responded, an amused smile still printed on his face. "But, as you know- he's also treatable."

Elena smiled to herself.

"You'll get him back."

Elena's smile faltered. She hadn't missed the strain in his voice. She glanced back up at him.

His brow was slightly furrowed, and he was staring straight ahead. He fidgeted uncomfortably. He could sense her eyes on him.

He reached out and cut on the radio.

Neither one of them spoke another word until they reached Ric's apartment. 


End file.
